How do you wish someone a good day in Italian?
Italians use this phrase all the time with shopkeepers, baristas, friends… but surprisingly, you won’t find it in most textbooks!
Learn how to use it like a local in this lesson.
How to Say “Have a Good Day” in Italian
Here’s the easiest and most natural way to wish Italians well when you’re leaving somewhere:
Buona giornata – Have a good day BWOH–NAH JOR–NAH–TAH
Buona serata – Have a good evening BWOH–NAH SEH–RAH–TAH
Careful not to confuse these expressions with buongiorno (good day/hello) and buonasera (good evening/hello) . We use these expressions to greet Italians when we arrive.
The words giornata and serata , with – ata on the end, refer to the continuation of the day or the evening, which is why we say them when parting ways.
Common mistake alert!
Sometimes learners translate too literally from English and say:
❌ Hai una buona giornata – Literally: “ You have a good day”
This doesn’t sound right in Italian. To wish someone a good day or good evening, we don’t use “have”. We just say:
✅ Buona giornata – Literally: Good day
✅ Buona serata – Literally: Good evening
There are lots of similar phrases like this in Italian, you can learn more in this episode on how to say bon voyage!
More Local Ways To Say “Have A Good Day” in Italian
The two phrases in the previous section are all you need to wish someone a good day or good evening in Italian. They work in all situations, from formal to informal.
Here are some more advanced phrases, if you’d like an extra challenge!
| Ti auguro una buona giornata | I wish you a good day (informal) | TEE OW–GOO–ROH OO–NAH BWOH–NAH JOR–NAH–TAH |
| Le auguro una buona giornata | I wish you a good day (formal) | LEY OW–GOO–ROH OO–NAH BWOH–NAH JOR–NAH–TAH |
| Passa* una buona giornata | Have a good day (informal) | PAH–SAH OO–NAH BWOH–NAH JOR–NAH–TAH |
| Passi* una buona giornata | Have a good day (formal) | PAH–SEE OO–NAH BWOH–NAH JOR–NAH–TAH |
Good to know * The literal translation of these phrases is “ pass a good day”. Italians often use the verb passare, to pass, to talk about time in this way.
Sometimes Italians replace buona giornata with bella giornata or bellissima giornata. They literally mean “have a beautiful day”.
Grazie, You Too! Friendly Ways To Answer “Have a Good Day” in Italian
If someone else wishes you a good day or a good evening in Italian, it’s nice to know how to answer in a natural way. Here are three different options:
| Grazie, altrettanto! | Thank you, you too! | GRAHTS–YEAH AL–TREH–TAN–TOH |
| Grazie, anche a te! | Thank you, same to you! (informal) | GRAHTS–YEAH AN–KEH AH TEH |
| Grazie, anche a lei! | Thank you, same to you! (formal) | GRAHTS–YEAH AN–KEH AH LEY |
Altrettanto is a handy word that you can use to say “you too” in any situation, from informal to formal. You can learn more about how to use altrettanto here .
Have a Good Day in Italian: Review
Now you know how to wish someone a good day and a good evening in Italian, let’s review the phrases together in a handy list:
Buona giornata – Have a good day
Buona serata – Have a good evening
Here are a few advanced versions:
Ti auguro una buona giornata – I wish you a good day (informal)
Le auguro una buona giornata – I wish you a good day (formal)
Passa una buona giornata – Have a good day (informal)
Passi una buona giornata – Have a good day (formal)
And some common ways to answer:
Grazie, altrettanto! – Thank you, you too!
Grazie, anche a te! – Thank you, same to you! (informal)
Grazie, anche a lei! – Thank you, same to you! (formal)
We’d like to wish you buona giornata soon , too! But before you go, remember to check out our quiz and vocabulary cards for this lesson.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. The phrase in today’s mini lesson will be very useful when you’re leaving places in Italy, because Italians always greet, and say goodbye to servers in shops and restaurants especially if it’s a small place. To wish someone a good day as you leave, you can say:
M: Buona giornata (x2)
K: Literally:
Buona – Good
Giornata – Day
K: A couple of things to keep in mind. First, there’s a W sound after the B. BWO, BWO, BWO. Buona. Buona giornata.
M: Buona giornata
K: Also, be careful not to confuse buona giornata with buongiorno. What’s the difference?
M: We use buongiorno to say “hello”, literally “good day” when we arrive somewhere. We use buona giornATA to wish someone a good day when we’re leaving.
K: This –ata ending of giornata refers to the passing of time, so it makes sense that we use that one when we’re leaving. Almost like saying “have a nice rest of day”.
M: It’s the same with buona serata. We use buona sera to say “hello”, literally “good evening” when we arrive somewhere.
K: Can you guess how to wish them a good evening, when leaving?
[...]
M: Buona serata (x2)
M: So, you learned one, actually two important phrases today.
K: The first was to wish someone a good day
[...]
M: Buona giornata
K: The second was to wish someone a good evening:
[...]
M: Buona serata
K: To learn more local-sounding ways to wish someone a good day in Italian, and how to avoid a really common mistake learners often make, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description. Or you can go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 149.
M: You’ll also see everything written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz.
K: Today we answered a question I had when I was learning: how to say “have a good day” in Italian. If you liked this style of mini episode, maybe in future we can answer one of your questions, too! Send us your question to ciao@joyoflanguages.com
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Have a Good Day in Italian
Vocabulary
Buona giornata = Have a good day (lit. “good day”)
Buona serata = Have a good evening (lit. “good evening”)
Buongiorno = Hello/good day
Buonasera = Hello/good evening
Grazie, altrettanto! = Thank you, you too!
Flashcards: Have a Good Day in Italian
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
